Transgender law is wrong

Letter originally published at the Central Kitsap Reporter

I am what the transgender community calls “cisgender,” meaning my brain connects with my biological sex. I just call myself a woman.

I am also a lead in a group called Keep Locker Rooms Safe and we are working to repeal an ambiguous rule that was pushed onto the state by a group of unelected bureaucrats without consulting the public. This rule allows anyone to use the restroom of their choice. It prevents anyone from saying anything if a man is in the women’s locker room or bathroom. It restricts speech, and endangers the vulnerable. As open opponents of this rule, we are constantly subjected to threats, hate mail, attempts to discredit us, name calling, bullying, outright slander and accusations of hate toward trans people.

Desiring to cross lines, I spent an afternoon having coffee with two trans individuals who had asked to meet with folks who oppose this rule. I looked forward to hearing their concerns and fears and vice versa. The invite seemed sincere, a true desire to hear the other side, to perhaps come to some understanding of one another.